Geneva Lake Conservancy collects nearly 800 acres of land from American Farmland Trust

Headshots/ Ketterhagen_Lynn/ Lynn Ketterhagen, Manager of Land Protection and Operations for the Geneva Lake Conservancy./ 12/13

FONTANA—The Geneva Lake Conservancy is taking over nearly 800 acres of organic farmland from the American Farmland Trust.

The American Farmland Trust, a national conservation organization, is transferring three agricultural conservation easements in the East Troy area it collected in December 2000 to the Walworth County conservation group, according to the conservation's news release.

Geneva Lake Conservancy aims to protect the organic farmland from urban development, according to the release.

The 788 acres of farmland also includes woodland and wetland areas and prairies.

Christopher and Martina Mann own two of the three properties, leasing them to a local farmer and East Troy's Michael Fields Agricultural Institute. Yggdrasil Land Foundation owns the third property and leases it to the Krusenbaum Family for their organic dairy business,according to the release.

Lynn Ketterhagen, land protection and operations manager for the Geneva Lake Conservancy, is excited to work with the landowners and farmers of the new properties.

“We hope to be able to collaborate with everyone involved to increase the awareness of preserving farmland in our County,” she said in the release.

The conservation group protects more than 1,900 acres of natural lands on more than 27 properties.